February 2023
Dear friends,
The upside of all this snow we’re having out West is that there are many wintry days perfect for staying inside with a book. In this newsletter, I share recent news about my book Cockeyed Happy—and more book news with my friend Marco Mastrorilli’s new Ernest Hemingway release written in Italian, as well as Colorado Homes & Lifestyles book picks.
Snowy mornings are great for writing too, and I’m making progress on my next book. I can’t say too much here because I’m superstitious, like Hemingway, but I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Darla
NOW SERVING I’m excited to announce that after a year in hardcover, Cockeyed Happy has been released in paperback by Chicago Review Press, available through your favorite bookselling source (also available in eBook, for those who prefer a handy digital read). The trade paperback isn’t exactly pocket-size, but it’s definitely lighter and more flexible for those who want to stow it in a backpack or suitcase for summer travels – maybe for a Wyoming road trip following Ernest and Pauline’s path across the state! I’m grateful to all of you who have helped Cockeyed Happy’s success – in fact, I was excited to hear from Sheridan, Wyoming, bookseller extraordinaire Jessica Bohnsack, that it was one of her shop’s bestsellers for 2022, making her Sheridan Stationery Books’ annual “Best of the West” list.
AU NATUREL You may remember me mentioning before my unlikely pen pal, Italian award-winning author and world-famous ornithologist owl expert, Marco Mastrorilli. We connected when Marco reached out via email over our shared passion for everything Hemingway, and now I want to congratulate him on his own just-released new Hemingway book, which fittingly explores Hemingway’s connection to nature across various aspects of his life and work (though some of us, less adept at languages than Marco, are waiting for the English version). If you speak Italian – or want to explore YouTube subtitles – check out his YouTube channel, “Passione Hemingway,” where he delves into various aspects of Hemingway’s time spent in Europe, Italian landmarks devoted to the author (there are many!), and selections from Marco’s extensive library of books by and about Hemingway.
SIX PACK We’ve had plenty of cold and snow this winter in the Mountain West, perfect for cozying up with a good book! Colorado Homes & Lifestyles agrees, sharing some favorite local-writer picks in its “6 Books by Colorado Authors to Read by the Fire.” The thoughtful suggestions offer something for everyone, ranging from a historical novel about an 1880s midwife accused of murder in a Colorado mining town by bestselling New York Times author Sandra Dallas, to a surprising sci-fi thriller starring a family-man physicist who wakes up in an alternate version of his own life that NPR calls “a fast, tasty read with a killer twist” – to my own nonfiction tale of Hemingway’s Wild West Wyoming travels and ultimately doomed love affair-turned-marriage to Pauline Pfeiffer.
If you haven’t read Cockeyed Happy yet – or need a gift for a friend – order in hardcover, paperback or eBook from your favorite local bookseller or one of these: